Microcrystalline Wax Techniques?

Daves Spi · June 11th, 2005, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oscar Spier

I am just doing all of this to see how far I can get it.

You are my man... Like your access to it. You are curious as me... How far can we push it and where are the limits :)

Dan Diaconu · June 11th, 2005, 02:16 PM

like I told ya; der aint no limits or.... better put: WE are the only limits.

Matthew Wauhkonen · June 11th, 2005, 04:42 PM

I made a really, really rough wax projection screen for an adapter I built in about an hour. Here's my test footage (sorry to link to another forum):

http://www.dvxuser.com/V3/showthread...485#post230485

I used beeswax.

Oscar Spierenburg · June 11th, 2005, 04:58 PM

Looks pretty good (or pretty ánd good)Matthew. Beeswax is about as fine as Paraffine. So did you use my method? I made this step by step guide today http://doublecam.250free.com/wax/wax2.htm Feel free to post the link on that tread.

Jim Lafferty · June 11th, 2005, 05:32 PM

I definitely dig your shots -- no apologies or qualifications needed.

I've got some time to myself in the coming week and I'll definitely be hitting the wax and make a go of Oscar's method. I'm planning on using a 46mm UV filter as the "internal" glass, with a 49mm filter kept in its ring.

Incidentally, you might find Oscar that, since you're melting such a large area of wax, you could lay the pieces of glass in the wax side-by-side, thereby using the wax to bring both pieces of glass to the same temp (rather than heating the glass separately). I've found in my experiments that so long as both pieces of glass got submerged in the wax for a bit of time, no stratification of the wax occured.

I also found it helpful, and I intend to try this again, to place the wax in the fridge to cool. At thinner progressions of the wax, this was indespensable.

Matthew Wauhkonen · June 11th, 2005, 05:46 PM

I used a method very much like the one you described for my tests, then modified it to be almost exactly what you did once I saw your link.

I've also found putting wax in the refridgerator helps, but if you can keep it in one place while it melts and let it take its time, that can provide even better results.

Oscar Spierenburg · June 12th, 2005, 05:20 AM

If someone has trouble of dust in the wax layer, try spraying a large space around your work area with water (with a spray for plants or something) before you begin. I learned this when I painted parts of my car. You can even spay a bit of water on your clothes to fix the dust.

Dan Diaconu · June 12th, 2005, 07:15 AM

as an alternative (for those obsessed with quality) try the bathroom. Colse the door, turn on the shower hot, then cold, a few times till the room is full of steam. Wait for it to settle and the dust is gone! oh yeah, and do not open the door. (from... a working procedure about making a plastic window in the hrad drive's case www.overclockers.com)

Jim Lafferty · June 12th, 2005, 08:55 AM

It's going to be tough getting my oven in there :D

Dan Diaconu · June 12th, 2005, 09:26 AM

hmmm...tough indeed, but not impossible! a hose and shower in the kitchen?

Oscar Spierenburg · June 12th, 2005, 09:42 AM

I thought about parking my car in the shower when I wanted to paint it 'dust free', but I didn't even get it through the front door.
My microcrystalline is cooling down right now, it just a first test with my new wax, but who knows.

Jim Lafferty · June 12th, 2005, 09:47 AM

Oscar: where'd you get your circular glass cutter? Was it off eBay?

Oscar Spierenburg · June 12th, 2005, 10:14 AM

I don't have one. I wish I did. Keith Kline has one.
Until now I used clear lens filters.

Jim Lafferty · June 12th, 2005, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oscar Spier

I don't have one. I wish I did. Keith Kline has one.
Until now I used clear lens filters.

Ah, ok -- the shots with square plates of glass in your latest tutorial were confusing.

Oscar Spierenburg · June 12th, 2005, 05:51 PM

Microwax is definitely many times finer than Paraffine. The glass I made today with the microwax is almost perfect. I just need to wait if some small bubbles on the sides that came from the epoxy (I learned you better wait 12 hours) don't expand the coming days. They are outside the frame area, so I hope it stays that way.
It was dark when I had a chance to test it, but I really can't see any grain so far.
I did a side by side test just to see the light loss. It's two stops for this one:
http://s01.picshome.com/4b4/dv-wax.jpg (Left> only the camcorder. Right> with wax)

One other shot (just before it was getting too dark outside)
http://s01.picshome.com/4b4/1.jpg

Anyway, I'll test this further tomorrow.

June 11th, 2005, 04:42 PM	#303
Matthew Wauhkonen Major Player Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 285	This stuff is great! I made a really, really rough wax projection screen for an adapter I built in about an hour. Here's my test footage (sorry to link to another forum): http://www.dvxuser.com/V3/showthread...485#post230485 I used beeswax.

June 11th, 2005, 05:32 PM	#305
Jim Lafferty Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 636	I definitely dig your shots -- no apologies or qualifications needed. I've got some time to myself in the coming week and I'll definitely be hitting the wax and make a go of Oscar's method. I'm planning on using a 46mm UV filter as the "internal" glass, with a 49mm filter kept in its ring. Incidentally, you might find Oscar that, since you're melting such a large area of wax, you could lay the pieces of glass in the wax side-by-side, thereby using the wax to bring both pieces of glass to the same temp (rather than heating the glass separately). I've found in my experiments that so long as both pieces of glass got submerged in the wax for a bit of time, no stratification of the wax occured. I also found it helpful, and I intend to try this again, to place the wax in the fridge to cool. At thinner progressions of the wax, this was indespensable. __________________ Realism, anyway, is never exactly the same as reality, and in the cinema it is of necessity faked. -- J-L G Last edited by Jim Lafferty; June 11th, 2005 at 06:23 PM.

June 12th, 2005, 08:55 AM	#309
Jim Lafferty Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 636	It's going to be tough getting my oven in there :D __________________ Realism, anyway, is never exactly the same as reality, and in the cinema it is of necessity faked. -- J-L G

June 12th, 2005, 09:47 AM	#312
Jim Lafferty Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 636	Oscar: where'd you get your circular glass cutter? Was it off eBay? __________________ Realism, anyway, is never exactly the same as reality, and in the cinema it is of necessity faked. -- J-L G

June 11th, 2005, 02:16 PM	#302
Dan Diaconu Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 804	like I told ya; der aint no limits or.... better put: WE are the only limits.

June 11th, 2005, 04:58 PM	#304
Oscar Spierenburg Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: (The Netherlands - Belgium) Posts: 735	Looks pretty good (or pretty ánd good)Matthew. Beeswax is about as fine as Paraffine. So did you use my method? I made this step by step guide today http://doublecam.250free.com/wax/wax2.htm Feel free to post the link on that tread.

June 11th, 2005, 05:46 PM	#306
Matthew Wauhkonen Major Player Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 285	I used a method very much like the one you described for my tests, then modified it to be almost exactly what you did once I saw your link. I've also found putting wax in the refridgerator helps, but if you can keep it in one place while it melts and let it take its time, that can provide even better results.

June 12th, 2005, 05:20 AM	#307
Oscar Spierenburg Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: (The Netherlands - Belgium) Posts: 735	If someone has trouble of dust in the wax layer, try spraying a large space around your work area with water (with a spray for plants or something) before you begin. I learned this when I painted parts of my car. You can even spay a bit of water on your clothes to fix the dust.

June 12th, 2005, 07:15 AM	#308
Dan Diaconu Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 804	as an alternative (for those obsessed with quality) try the bathroom. Colse the door, turn on the shower hot, then cold, a few times till the room is full of steam. Wait for it to settle and the dust is gone! oh yeah, and do not open the door. (from... a working procedure about making a plastic window in the hrad drive's case www.overclockers.com)

June 12th, 2005, 09:26 AM	#310
Dan Diaconu Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 804	hmmm...tough indeed, but not impossible! a hose and shower in the kitchen?

June 12th, 2005, 09:42 AM	#311
Oscar Spierenburg Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: (The Netherlands - Belgium) Posts: 735	I thought about parking my car in the shower when I wanted to paint it 'dust free', but I didn't even get it through the front door. My microcrystalline is cooling down right now, it just a first test with my new wax, but who knows.

June 12th, 2005, 10:14 AM	#313
Oscar Spierenburg Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: (The Netherlands - Belgium) Posts: 735	I don't have one. I wish I did. Keith Kline has one. Until now I used clear lens filters.

June 12th, 2005, 05:51 PM	#315
Oscar Spierenburg Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: (The Netherlands - Belgium) Posts: 735	Microwax is definitely many times finer than Paraffine. The glass I made today with the microwax is almost perfect. I just need to wait if some small bubbles on the sides that came from the epoxy (I learned you better wait 12 hours) don't expand the coming days. They are outside the frame area, so I hope it stays that way. It was dark when I had a chance to test it, but I really can't see any grain so far. I did a side by side test just to see the light loss. It's two stops for this one: http://s01.picshome.com/4b4/dv-wax.jpg (Left> only the camcorder. Right> with wax) One other shot (just before it was getting too dark outside) http://s01.picshome.com/4b4/1.jpg Anyway, I'll test this further tomorrow.